The Masterplan

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For American audiences, the phenomenal worldwide success of Oasis was a little puzzling. That's because they only had part of the picture -- unless they were hardcore fans, they didn't hear nearly three albums of material released on B-sides and non-LP singles. Critics and fans alike claimed that the best of these B-sides were as strong as the best moments on the albums, and they were right. None of the albums had a song that rocked as hard as Fade Away (cleverly built on a stolen melody from Wham!'s Freedom), Headshrinker, or Acquiesce. There was nothing as charming as the lite psychedelic pastiche Underneath the Sky or the Bacharach tribute Going Nowhere; there was nothing as affecting as Noel Gallagher's acoustic plea Talk Tonight or the minor-key, McCartney-esque Rockin' Chair, nothing as epic as The Masterplan. Most bands wouldn't throw songs of this caliber away on B-sides, but Noel Gallagher followed the example of his heroes the Jam and the Smiths, who released singles where the B-sides rivaled the A-sides. This meant many American fans missed these songs, so to remedy this situation, Oasis released the B-sides compilation The Masterplan. Oasis unfortunately chose to opt for a single disc of highlights instead of a complete double-disc set, which means a wealth of great songs -- Take Me Away, Whatever, D'Yer Wanna Be a Spaceman?, Round Are Way, It's Better People, Step Out, a raging cover of Cum on Feel the Noize -- are missing. But The Masterplan winds up quite enjoyable anyway. Apart from the sludgy instrumental The Swamp Song, there isn't a weak track here, and the brilliant moments are essential not only for Oasis fans, but any casual follower of Britpop or post-grunge rock & roll. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi